This past weekend, Lady Gaga launched a new social media initiative through her Born this Way Foundation, using the hashtag #IamNotJust. She invites people to fill in the blank -- taking a stand against the way others label them.

Gaga, born Stefani Germanotta, posted on her Instagram account yesterday, "This is about changing people's behavior, changing culture, changing the tone of how we value our feelings."

On the outside, it may seem like Gaga is the epitome of self confidence. But she too has dealt with self doubt and is no stranger to being labeled.

Do you remember when Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro called her a slut? Or when, in 2012, the band Die Antwoord made fun of Gaga for her weight gain?

She says that, in her school days, she was bullied and made fun of for her appearance. Cynthia Germanotta, her mother and president of the Born this Way Foundation, said in an interview with the Daily Beast, "(Gaga) was creative and unequivocally her own person, but her peers didn’t always appreciate the things that made her unique—and different. As a result, they would sometimes taunt, humiliate, or exclude her."

"This mean-spirited treatment did more than sting in the moment—it shook Stefani’s confidence. The persistent, thoughtless cruelty of her peers caused Stefani to question her identity and self-worth."

Germanotta said this self-doubt led to anxiety, depression and self destructive behavior. And, in a recent interview with Billboard, Gaga said she still suffers from depression and anxiety "every single day."

Because of her own struggles with depression, Gaga created the Born this Way Foundation to show teens that they are not alone.

She told Billboard, "I just want these kids to know that that depth that they feel as human beings is normal. We were born that way. This modern thing, where everyone is feeling shallow and less connected? That's not human."

"This is my life purpose, this foundation. This is why I was brought to life, I think."

Despite what others may have said about her in her life, Gaga didn't let that stop her. She marches to her own drum. And, by staying true to the person she is and, as a child, not letting the taunts of other students in school define her, she is now not only a household name but, more importantly, is a role model for others. We could learn a lot from Gaga -- to, instead of letting our past hold us hostage, to use it to help others going through the same thing.

According to a survey of 1,000 business owners and CEOs, 35 percent said being depressed is an acceptable reason to call in to work.

Radio hosts Dave & Chuck the Freak addressed this on a
recent show (Listen here at 32 minutes and 33 seconds). They were baffled that anyone would call in sick for being
depressed or anxious. Dave said his boss would probably hang up on him after saying,
“You’re calling into work because you’re sad?” and “Snap out of it.”

“I would just try to take a Xanax and calm down and deal
with it,” Dave said. “I would be judged as the crazy depressed guy.”

Dave & Chuck the Freak

One listener, Cheryl Lynn, wasn’t too thrilled about the
hosts’ take on mental illness and made a video response on her YouTube channel.

“I want it to be known that what you guys said is part of
the problem. It’s part of the stigma that’s associated with mental health,” said
Cheryl, who was in the Final 4 in WRIF’s Rock Girl contest. “I have
depression. I have anxiety. … It can be because of a chemical imbalance. There’s
nothing you can do about it. You can’t ‘pull it together.’”

“The world needs us all to come together to find a solution
and to be OK to talk about mental health just like we’re OK to talk about
cancer. … Too many people are killing themselves because they feel like they
can’t talk about it because of this negative stigma.”

Cheryl Lynn

She stressed that she is not asking people to boycott the
station and that she will still listen to the show every day. But she called
what they said on the show “unacceptable.” She said that someone who is
depressed or anxious is not any less than anyone else who is sick.

“It is a disease and it does need treatment. It needs to be
taken seriously,” she said.

While working at The Oakland Press, I called in sick once
because of a rough bout of depression. It was so bad that I physically felt
sick. I only got two hours of sleep the night before, I felt like I was going
to throw up, and I had a splitting headache. I honestly felt like I couldn’t
drive, even if I wanted to.

I told one of my bosses the truth about why I wasn’t coming
in to work. And she let me talk to her about what was going on and provided resources
for me to seek help. That’s how a boss should react – not say, “Get over it.”

I had four sick days left for the year when I asked for that
day off. I feel that, as long as you have sick days available, then it doesn’t
matter if you are sick mentally or physically. You have the right to that time
off. Sicknesses should be treated equal; you would never be judged for calling
in with a flu -- although, I don’t know about you, but I would hands down rather
have the flu than depression.